Leo Robin (April 6, 1900 – December 29, 1984) was an American composer, lyricist and

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

. He is probably best known for collaborating with Ralph Rainger on the 1938 Oscar-winning song "

Thanks for the Memory "Thanks for the Memory" (1938) is a popular song composed by Ralph Rainger with lyrics by Leo Robin. It was introduced in the 1938 film ''The Big Broadcast of 1938'' by Bob Hope and Shirley Ross, and recorded by Shep Fields and His Orchestra ...

," sung by

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in Bob Hope filmography, more than 70 short and ...

and Shirley Ross in the film '' The Big Broadcast of 1938'', and with Jule Styne on " Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend," a song whose witty,

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...

style of lyric came to be identified with its famous interpreter

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

Biography

Robin was born in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...

, United States. His father was Max Robin, a salesman. Leo's mother was Fannie Finkelpearl Robin. He studied at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and at Carnegie Tech's drama school. He later worked as a reporter and as a publicist. Robin's first hits came in 1926 with the Broadway production ''By the Way'', with hits in several other musicals immediately following, such as ''Bubbling Over'' (1926), ''Hit the Deck, Judy'' (1927), and ''Hello Yourself'' (1928). In 1932, Robin went out to Hollywood to work for

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

. His principal collaborator was composer Ralph Rainger, together they became one of the leading film songwriting duos of the 1930s and early 1940s, writing over 50 hits. Robin and Rainger worked together until Rainger's death in a plane crash on October 23, 1942. Robin continued to collaborate with many other composers over the years, including

Vincent Youmans Vincent Millie Youmans (September 27, 1898 – April 5, 1946) was an American Broadway composer and producer. A leading Broadway composer of his day, Youmans collaborated with virtually all the greatest lyricists on Broadway: Ira Gershwin, ...

, Sam Coslow,

Richard A. Whiting Richard Armstrong Whiting (November 12, 1891 – February 19, 1938) was an American composer of popular songs, including the standards "Hooray for Hollywood", "Ain't We Got Fun?" and "On the Good Ship Lollipop". He also wrote lyrics occasiona ...

, Jule Styne, and Nacio Herb Brown. Leo Robin collaborated with Rainger on the 1938 Oscar-winning song "

," sung by

in the film '' The Big Broadcast of 1938'', which was to become Hope's signature tune."Leo Robin"
Michael Feinstein's Great American Songbook. Robin and Styne wrote the 1949 score for ''Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'', including "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend", a signature song for Carol Channing and later Marilyn Monroe. Robin collaborated on the score for the 1955 musical film '' My Sister Eileen'' with Styne, then officially retired from the movie industry. He is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 1972. Robin wrote many popular songs, mostly for film and television, including "Louise," " Beyond the Blue Horizon" (both songs co-written by

), "Prisoner of Love" and "Blue Hawaii".

Death

Robin died of

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, ...

in Woodland Hills,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

at the age of 84, and was interred in the Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in

Culver City, California Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. Founded in 1917 as a "whites only" sundown town, it is now an ethnically diverse city with what was called the "third-most ...

Work on Broadway

*'' Hit the Deck'' (1927),

musical Musical is the adjective of music Music is generally defined as the The arts, art of arranging sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Exact def ...

- co-lyricist *''Allez-oop'' (1927), revue - lyricist *''Just Fancy'' (1927), musical - lyricist *''Hello Yourself'' (1928), musical - lyricist *''Tattle Tales'' (1933), revue - contributing lyricist *'' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'' (1949), musical - lyricist *'' The Girl in Pink Tights'' (1954), musical - lyricist *''Lorelei (Gentlemen Still Prefer Blondes)'' (1974), musical - lyricist Posthumous credits or shows in which pre-written songs by Leo Robin were featured include: *'' Maurice Chevalier in an evening of Songs and Impressions'' (1955),

concert A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variet ...

*''The American Dance Machine'' (1978), dance special *''A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine'' (1980), revue - lyricist for "Louise", " Beyond the Blue Horizon", "Double Trouble", and "

" *''Big Deal'' (1986), musical - lyricist for " Love Is Just around the Corner" *'' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'' (1995 revival) *'' Fosse'' (1999), revue - lyricist for "Got No Room for Mr. Gloom"

References

External links

* * Leo Robin at th
Official Leo Robin Website
* *
Leo Robin recordings
at the Discography of American Historical Recordings {{DEFAULTSORT:Robin, Leo 1900 births 1984 deaths 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians American lyricists American male composers Best Original Song Academy Award-winning songwriters Broadway composers and lyricists Burials at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery Jewish American songwriters Musicians from Pittsburgh Songwriters from Pennsylvania University of Pittsburgh School of Law alumni 20th-century American Jews American male songwriters